Vadodara: Gir National Park, the only home to Asiatic lions, will remain closed for tourists in monsoons on account of the breeding season of the wild cats, forest officials said.

The Sanctuary in Junagadh district would remain closed for the breeding season, from today onwards for four months, said Dr Sandeep Kumar, Deputy Conservator of Forest Wildlife division at Sasan.

Also, this is the best mating season for leopards and peacocks and the period is crucial for conservation of the endangered animals, he said.

"Since we supervise the conservation efforts, we want to prevent any disturbance in the conservation activities, which could be caused by tourists. So we close the sanctuary," he said.

Kumar said that the Park is also a natural habitat for sambar, spotted deer, blue bull, black buck, wild boar, jackal, hyena, langurs, porcupine, bear,crocodiles and over 250 species of birds.

Another reason behind the closure is that the forest staff have to monitor the movement of wild animals during rains and in case of heavy rains in the area, they have to chalk out a rescue plan and shift them to safer places, he said.